Choosing your SIM Only tariff

giffgaff’s slogan is ‘The network run by you!’ It collaborates with its users to get the best feedback and improve its service and deals. It’s unique in this community style offering with low costs and is therefore becoming very popular.

giffgaff uses the O2 network, which not only means good coverage but you can also top-up your credit with an O2 voucher and, if you have an existing O2 phone, you don’t need to get it unlocked.

giffgaff is rather different to the other SIM only contracts featured on our site, with a unique and more flexible way to save money on your bills.

There’s no monthly contract. Instead, giffgaff is like a PAYG SIM card service where you add-on monthly “goodybags“. These are tariffs that you simply switch between on p/mthly basis. For example, choose a £20 p/mth plan one month and a £10 one the next month if you need to save money.

Each goodybag lasts for one month so there are no rollover minutes, data or texts. If you exceed your inclusive goodybag allowance, you’re charged the standard rate so make sure you monitor it or simply top-up whenever you need to. You can opt to top-up by debit/credit card or a top-up voucher. You can also set up a direct debit for greater convenience.

giffgaff deals start from just £5 p/mth with a very basic package of texts only or 60 minutes + 300 texts for users who use their phone sparingly. For £10 p/mth you can get 250 minutes, unlimited texts and 1GB of Internet - this is a great deal that’s slightly better than similarly priced plans from Three and equal to Virgin's 1-month rolling SIM contract at £10 p/mth. You can compare sim only plans across all networks on our dedicated search page.

Are you a Smartphone or BlackBerry user?

BlackBerry users can get BlackBerry Internet services with your goodybag as an add-on. This costs an extra £2.5 p/mth and includes messenger, push-emails and Internet services.

iPhone 3G/ 3Gs /4 and 4S users can order a free giffgaff SIM card and receive both the standard SIM and micro SIM card. However, iPhone 5 users will need to get a nano SIM card from the giffgaff community. This is a free service where a member cuts out the nano SIM from a standard SIM card. Simply complete a short form to order one.

What about Internet?

Looking for unlimited Internet? giffgaff has a wide range of plans from £12 to £20 p/mth, with excellent deals for heavy users but lower talk time allowances than other networks. This could be a deal breaker for some people who would prefer more talk time minutes.

It's also worth noting that the "Unlimited Data" or Always On data offered on their £20 plan has a speed restriction on any usage above 6GB per month. When you have used 6GB of data the speed is limited to 256kbps.

SIM Only Contract’s top tip:

Enjoy free giffgaff to giffgaff calls when you top up at least every 3 months. 60 minutes free per call.

Our editor says:

The beauty of giffgaff is its simplicity and flexibility. You’re not tied in to a contract - top-up as you need or sign-up to p/mthly goodybag. 0800 numbers are completely free for a change! giffgaff is just of just a few networks to allow tethering within their data tariffs (on the £10 goodybag only).

The Good

I like: Aside from the excellent value price plans, giffgaff has a large community of customers, like you, providing support and advice. You can have your say and improve the service the way you want it.

The Bad

I don’t like: giffgaff doesn’t offer other benefits like discounts on shopping or tickets.

Telecoms and SIM Only expert Rosh is passionate about saving money on mobile phone bills. He is also a technology enthusiast and keeps up to date with the latest gadgets and smartphones. In his spare time he also enjoys keeping fit by going to the gym and is a massive supporter of Arsenal FC.